Skin and Bones
by silent velcro
Summary: Dell couldn't take it. Living with Tim was too difficult but talking to Dallas was a bore. Why couldn't she break free from a world that she wasn't even a part of and what would it feel like to be sober again?
1. I Know Exactly What You Mean

**Disclaimer: The Outsiders belong to S. E. Hinton and I am just borrowing her characters and adding some of mine.**

**A/N at the end, as always. Note: this story is _not_ like Always Yours; it's not recommended for younger readers. R/R!**

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Skin and Bones

_Drugs, sex, violence and alcohol was what she lived for._

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**1. I Know Exactly What You Mean**

"Here," Delilah said, passing the joint over to Tim.

"Thanks, Dell." He inhaled, intoxicated by the drug. "I dig this. It's much better than the shit that Eddie dealt me."

"Yeah, I get it from George. He doesn't live here."

"Well you better get me the motherfucker's number cos this stuff is great!"

"Will do." She chuckled. Delilah, or Dell, as she liked to be called, was raised up in the gangs up north. "I think I'm staying here for good. The older bro seems to get a real kick outta jumping socs."

"Ah, it's fun at first but now...I got other things to do." He said, turning his head over to the table which was covered with white powder, green herbs, bottles of bourbon and cigarettes.

"I know exactly what you mean." She replied, taking another swig of scotch. Tim put down the joint and sauntered over to Dell. He pulled her body towards his and she wasn't refusing.  
"Rape me." She murmured, still high and drunk.

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Dell woke up on the cold, hard floor beside Tim, who was passed out. She thought nothing of this; she was used to waking up beside strangers; getting raped daily was part of her day-to-day life and she'd accepted it. If she got pregnant, then she dealt with it. Dell walked over to the dining table and lit up another joint.

"Good morning, Dell." Tim muttered. The hangover was taking place.

"Yeah, good three-in-the-morning to you too." She replied, staring into space. Nothing could harm her when she was this intoxicated. "I'm goin' for a walk."

"Be careful." He said half-heartedly.

"Don't need to be." Dell replied, walking out and slamming the door as usual. She carried a pistol, loaded with one bullet, with her at all times. Dell found it hardly necessary to shoot more than once. A good aimer, she was.

The east side of Tulsa, unlike the other parts of Tulsa, was quiet and eerie. The atmosphere had this unusual intensity about it-maybe it was just the marijuana speaking. Dell didn't really care and kept strolling around. She found a park nearby and decided to stop and get another alcohol fix.

Her flask was safely hidden in her inner jacket pocket. The flask was a shiny silver; there were also visible scratches; showing that it had been used for many years. It was one of the last things she had left to remember her father by. _'He wouldn't be proud of the person I've become.'_ Dell thought.

A cobalt blue Mustang drove up behind her. She reached for her gun, but decided to keep it in her pocket for the time being.

"Well looky here." A drunken soc said to the others that were still in the car. "A greaser girl."

Dell remained silent, but her upper lip slightly twitched.

"Let me grease you up..." He said, walking towards her. She ran her fingers through her dry golden-brown hair and soc led her into his car and she followed obediently. They drove off into the distance and he said one thing and one thing only, "Let the fun begin."

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**A/N: Unlike my other story, this one has only been spellchecked and nothing else, so my grammar/sentences may or may not make sense. Sorry if some parts drag on longer than they should. Always up for some abusive reviews! :)**


	2. That Ruined the Gangs

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not in any way own _The Outsiders;_ they belong to S. E. Hinton. I do, however, own Dell/Delilah...maybe there will be some more new characters in the later chapters. _Skin and Bones_ is a song written by the Foo Fighters and I don't own that either. **

**A/N at the end. **

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**2. That Ruined the Gangs**

_Where the fuck am I now?_ Dell thought to herself. She knew where this was. It was the Dingo. She'd been there with Tim once and she knew that it was closed during the day. Dell was lying on the gravel, beside the same cobalt blue Mustang as the night before. An idea propped up in her head. She ignored the fact that the noise would wake the socs up and went for it.

**Bang! ****  
**

Dell shot the tire and stood there, watching it deflate before she realised that the socs woke up and were just about to get out of the car. She brushed her knuckles, a habit she picked up from the many rumbles she'd attended, and waited for the three socials to get out. Instead, they turned the engine on and the Mustang began to purr, like a lion before its attack. Dell made a run for it and sprinted onto the main road. No-one even batted and eye, but she didn't care. The Mustang was catching up quick, before it slowed down to a stop after the tire had fully deflated. She laughed to herself, but kept running. Nothing could stop her now.  
Until she ran into another person.

"Woah!" A voice said, out of sudden shock. Dell looked up to see a blonde greaser staring back.

"Get outta my way." She said hastily. Then she felt a tight grasp on her arm.

"Now hold up, you little shit. What are you doing, running around like some maniac?"

"Socs are after me."

"Why?"

"I blew up one of their tires. Well, I shot one."

He laughed and shook his head in disbelief. "Girly, what are you doing with guns?"

"None of your business. Now I gotta get back to Tim's."

"Yeah just run- wait, you're going to Tim Shepard's?"

"Yeah, what's it to ya?"

"He ain't exactly a good influence; he's 22 now. How old are you?"

"Sixteen. And what the fuck is with all these questions? What's your name?"

"Dallas Winston." He said, taking his hand out of his pocket and reaching out, expecting Dell to shake it. She just put her hands back into her pockets and began walking at a faster pace. Dallas caught up easily. She was obviously walking towards Tim's, yet again, to await her fate. Another night of cocaine, drinking and waking up in the middle of the night.

"You shouldn't be staying at his place." He said, it even sounded like he was pleading or something.

"Come with me." Dell knew that Tim, her brother's old friend, would not be very pleased with her running off with another greaser.

Dell brushed off her worried thoughts, like she always did and pulled out another joint. She felt like some meth, though. Something to give her a sense of excitement, a temporary high.

"That green shit ruined the gangs, you know? Your mind gets all messed up and I'll never go near that junk."

"It's not like I belong anywhere." She muttered. Her comment didn't go unnoticed and Dally decided to walk her somewhere else.

"I was goin' to get you a place to stay at Buck's...but there are a few people I want you to meet."

"Don't waste my time." She said harshly.

"Or what? You and Tim won't be able to fit your 'extra activities' into your addict-schedule?"

"You think I like fucking Tim? You think I get a real kick outta it?! The only reason I go along with it is because I know I'll get beaten to death if I don't!" Dell snapped.

"Woah, chill." Dallas said; his hands up in the air in surrender.

"I'll chill once I get more hash." She responded, throwing out the remainder of the joint.

"Well, this is it." He said, after a minute of silence. She looked at him quizzically with her blue-green eyes but Dallas just shrugged, took her hand and led her inside.

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**A/N: Hope you didn't find this chapter too bad! More descriptions of what Dell actually looks like in a couple more chapters...**

**'That ruined the gangs' was kinda taken from Rumble Fish and Matt Dillon plays the person who said that in the movie so I could already imagine what Dallas would've sounded like. I'm trying to stick closer to the book by saying Dally is blonde but I'm totally thinking of Matt Dillon when I'm writing about him. :D**

**R/R please and make my day by clicking on the little green button below. (Anon reviews are allowed so don't be shy!)**


	3. Hey There Delilah

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not in any way own The Outsiders; they belong to S. E. Hinton. I do, however, own Dell/Delilah...maybe there will be some more new characters in the later chapters. This chapter is called 'Hey There Delilah'...it's a song by the Plain White T's and no, I'm not the Plain White T's.**

**A/N****at the end. **

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**3. Hey There Delilah**

"Hey guys..." Dallas said awkwardly. Dallas didn't seem to be the 'awkward' type. Maybe he just wanted to do Dell later on.

"Howdy," A tall boy with greasy mouse brown hair and long sideburns said. "Who's the girly you picked up?"

"I uh...honestly have no idea." He replied. Dallas faced Dell. She kept quiet.

"Well? You gonna tell us or what?" A dark-haired boy said.

"Yeah, come on, what's your name, sweetheart?" Another said. She glanced up, for just a millisecond, and did a double take. Man was he beautiful. He had dark brown eyes and dark chocolate brown hair; it swirled into a majestic chocolate horse. The horse began to dance around in circles...

"You look drunk." Another boy said quietly. Jesus, how many people were here?

"Name, stranger?" A big, burly man asked seriously. What was he, some cop?

"Dell." She said, finally.

"Dal? As in Dallas? As in Dallas Winston?" The chocolate-haired-horsey-boy laughed.

"No, Dell. D-E-L-L. "She replied angrily.

"What's that short for?" The shy boy asked.

"Tell me your name and I'll tell you mine."

Dell looked around the room. There were seven of them in total. Six boys and one man.

"Steve." The dark haired boy said, without hesitation.

"Sodapop." Said the chocolate horse boy.

"You know who I am." Dallas said, arrogantly. She rolled her eyes and let them carry on. Dell didn't let it slip that she was actually forgetting the names already; it had been a fucked up day.

"Two-Bit Matthews." Sideburn-tall-guy said.

"I'm Ponyboy, and this is Johnny." The shy boy waved, and then pointed to the small guy beside him. Johnny gave me a small smile and then looked away embarrassed. Weird.

"Darrel." The 'man' said.

"C'mon, it's Darry!" Sodapop yelled. _Was this guy a junkie as well? Why was he so high?_ Dell thought to herself privately. "Now tell us your _full_ name." He emphasised full.

"Delilah." She mumbled.

"What was that? I didn't hear." Dallas said, putting his hand on his ear.

"De-li-lah." Dell said one octave higher than before.

The boys Steve and Two-Bit (or so she remembered) burst into laughter. Dell just balled her fists and dug her fingernails further into her palm. Pain. She was a self-proclaimed masochist. Dell felt excess sweat drip from her hands and looked down, only to find blood slowly dripping down and staining the cream-but-near-brown carpet.

"Woah! Hey there, Delilah! What happened?" Sodapop said, with a concerned expression.

Dell slowly unravelled her hands, which were covered in crimson liquid. Darrel reached quickly for an old t-shirt and wiped the blood off her hands, only to reveal red fingernail marks, etched into her skin.

"Woah," Dallas said, impressed. "You did that just now?" She nodded.

"Why?! Are you crazy?" Darrel yelled.

"Probably." Two-Bit joked, trying to make light of the situation.

"Just get me some coke and I'll be fine." She said. Dallas practically sprinted over to the fridge, opened a bottle of cola and handed it over to her. "I meant the other kind."

"You mean, Pepsi?" Sodapop asked, stupidly.

"No, drugs, you dipshit." Steve muttered underneath his breath to his best friend.

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**A/N: Sorry, I had to get this chapter over an done with...she had to meet the boys at one point. **

**I find it weird that she does these impulsive things such as just make her palm bleed in a matter of seconds. Well, that's all I really have to say, but feel free to anonymously review! ;) **


	4. Everlong

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not in any way own The Outsiders; they belong to S. E. Hinton. I do, however, own Dell/Delilah...maybe there will be some more new characters in the later chapters. **

**The song Everlong (the name of the chapter and some lyrics are in this chapter) is owned by the Foo Fighters (am I a Foo Fighter? No.) Don't know why Dell is singing to Foo Fighters but I like the lyrics!**

**A/N****at the end.**

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**_4. Everlong_**

"Breathe out, so I can breathe you in..." She sang, twirling around in circles on the middle of the road.

"Hey, don't get run over or else the fuzz will haul me in again!"

"Oh, the ever-so-careless Dallas Winston telling 'me' to be careful? Ha!" Dell laughed. He just looked angry, but also amused. Her injuries were soon forgotten once she found a small pill at the very bottom of her back pocket. She giggled a little more and ran back to _that _building.

"Where are you goin'?" Dallas questioned. "I-I thought you were coming back to Buck's with me. And we'll y'know..."

"You thought wrong." She sighed. It was going to be very hard to explain to Tim about why she gone.

"Where the fuck have you been?" Tim spat.

"None of your business." Dell replied, grabbing a syringe from the coffee table.

"What do you mean that's none of my business?! You could've gotten killed! Raped, even!"

"And this is coming from the person who forced his body into mine the day before?"

She said; jabbing the needle into her arm, making sure it got well into her veins. Dell's pupils grew larger as the methamphetamine swam through her entire body in a matter of seconds. She was in a trance.

"You know what?" Tim yelled, snatching the syringe straight out of her hands. "I don't have to put up with this shit! I can pay for sex that's one hundred times better than yours!"

"You just realised?" She replied, spaced out.

"GET OUT!" He shouted in her ear.

"Fine." Dell said calmly. She grabbed her pistol, a bottle of vodka, a bag of cocaine and left for good.

_Dell spent three days roaming around, sleepless and depressed. _

Her too-long frayed denim jeans dragged along the dirty road and her eyes were more bloodshot than usual. Dell had used up most of her coke and she didn't even have enough money to buy a pack of cigarettes.  
She felt hot tears roll down her pale white porcelain face and onto her dirty charcoal tank top. Dell threw her half-empty vodka bottle towards the large brick wall and it shattered into a thousand transparent pieces of glass. Then, when she thought her life couldn't get any worse, a multitude of rain drops descended from the sky. Where was her knight in shining armour when she needed him?

And then, as if by magic, her knight stumbled out of the near convenience store before her. Dell smiled at the greaser with white-blond hair and he appeared to be smiling back. Suddenly his icy blue eyes didn't seem so cold and suddenly he wasn't the sleazy hood trying to get in her pants.

Dallas leaned down for a kiss and she let his rough, but soft lips press onto her purple, chapped lips.

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**A/N: In the next chapter Dallas may seem a bit OOC! I'm sorry and it's not intentional! This story has a little bit of romance in it, but not enough for me to change it to a romance... yet. Thanks for the reviewers in all my stories especially likealovestoryxx for reviewing all three!**

**You guys are all awesome and _inspire_ me to write more!**


	5. Guns and Roses

**DISCLAIMER:**** I do not in any way own The Outsiders; they belong to S. E. Hinton. I do, however, own Dell/Delilah...maybe there will be some more new characters in the later chapters. Skin and Bones is a song written by the Foo Fighters and I don't own that either. **

**Guns and Roses was inspired by, well, Guns 'n' Roses so HAHAHA no copyright issues!**

**A/N****at the bottom!!! **

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**_5. Guns and Roses_**

"Who brought in the trash?" A curvaceous girl with un-natural straight blond hair hissed as soon as Dell stepped into Buck's living room. "Oh, and hey Dally."

"Ignore Slyvia." Dally muttered―or apparently it was also 'Dally'―muttered, with an annoyed look on his face.

'Slyvia' was wearing a tight leather skirt and a flimsy black singlet that showed off her navel and the anchor tattoo that was almost touching her bellybutton. She analysed Dell, looking at her attire—which certainly made her look like a homeless thug, according to Sylvia—and laughed to herself.

Dell gave her an offensive hand gesture and let Dallas lead her upstairs.

"I need some alcohol." She slurred to Dallas.

"You still look drunk to me," He laughed lightly.

"That's just cos I'm tired," She replied; her eyes struggling to say open.

"Let's get you out of these clothes," He said.

"Nah, not tonight, Dal," She murmured.

"Even I know not to sleep in month-old clothing, but then again, I don't really need to wear clothes at night," He said with a wink. Cocky bastard.

"Yeah, you must be very proud," Dell replied, sarcastically. "Where would I get clothes from, anyway; I'm broke."

"Slyvia could get you some."

"No offence, but she looks like she'll light me on fire if I ask for a favour."

"Don't worry, I'll ask her." Dallas said and flashed a smile at Dell, showing all his sharp front teeth. "I'll charm her with my charm."

Dell had forgotten what it felt to laugh, but now she had, she wanted to do it more.

"These were all she gave me. I hope they fit," Dallas said, walking back into her room.

He placed the items beside her on the bed. Dell flicked through the pieces of trashy clothing in attempt to find something decent. She settled for a black t-shirt that, of course, was cut off inches above her belly-button. She took off her stained, dirty tank top and tried on the t-shirt. Dallas didn't leave the room and watched her undress like a sleazebag —she pretended he wasn't there. She couldn't make him angry now― after all, he was her only...friend. The black tee felt baggy against her bony body and she shivered; cold from the cool fall breeze that came in through the open window.

"Y-you look..." Dally stammered. "You're just skin and bones."

Dell looked in the mirror, not surprised to see her rib cage stuck out, even underneath the shirt.

"I don't eat." She replied casually.

Dell proceeded to take off her jeans, but left her plain black boxers on. She tucked herself into the bed, remembering the last bed she slept in—her then-alive mom's— and sighed heavily. A small cough interrupted her small daydream.

"You're released, if that's what you're coughing about."

"I'll be downstairs."

"I'm not going anywhere." She mumbled, half-asleep.

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**A/N: Is it just me or are the chapters getting shorter? I'm watching the Golden Globes so I don't have time to update any other stories! I also bought _Nevermind_ yesterday and I've been listening non-stop, hoping that Nirvana can provide some inspiration for my stories during my dreaded writer's block! Review please! **

**Feel free to comment anonymously if you're feeling abusive/nice! Dallas OOC-ness is not intended! Help me!**


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